


Miraculous House of Horrors

by Janus51



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Blood, But warning just in case, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Halloween, Horror, Not actually sure how violent this will be, Potentially Scary Imagery, first chapter is mostly fluff, then the scary stuff comes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-10
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-20 12:53:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8249776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janus51/pseuds/Janus51
Summary: Adrien just wanted to have a little Halloween get together with his friends. However, an akuma angry at Gabriel has more in store for him and his guests than just a couple of scary movies and games.The mansion is warped and twisted, the heroes separated from their kwamis, the friends separated from each other.Can they survive this nightmare and free Paris from the grips of terror? And is something strange about this akuma?





	1. The Fluffy First Chapter

“Come on, guys,” Adrien said, bouncing on the balls of his feet and grinning. “It’ll be awesome! We’ll play scary video games and watch horror movies and sneak in junk food.” It was near the end of their lunch break, and they were standing to the side of the school entryway. There was a noticeable chill in the air and the weather had been overcast all day, it was generally expected to be dismal, drizzly week. Not that that was putting a damper on Adrien’s excitement.

Nino raised an eyebrow. “How did you even convince your dad to let you have a _Halloween party_? Last time we tried to give you a party, I got banned from your house and akumatized. Not that I won’t go!” He added, seeing Adrien start to look crestfallen. “I’m just curious. This seems like a miracle.”

Alya joined in. “Yeah. _And_ letting us all spend the night, including us girls? That’s seems really out of character from what I’ve heard…”

Adrien shrugged. “It wasn’t easy, but I managed. So you’ll come? You can bring costumes!” The truth was it had taken literal months of begging, taking on extra modeling jobs, acing his classes, unleashing the “kitten eyes” at every opportunity, begging Nathalie _and_ the Gorilla to put in a good word for him, and fervent wishing and praying. His pride and his sleep schedule were nothing to the hope of having a group of friends over for the weekend. It’d helped that his mother had enjoyed American Halloween celebrations when she’d lived in the U.S. for a few years during university, something Adrien (mostly, not really) shamelessly (he’d beg forgiveness later...) played off of as Halloween approached. He was not above attempting the occasional guilt trip.

Really though, Adrien was pretty sure his father was just tired of hearing him beg after about six months… Still! Victory was sweet.

Even if Halloween wasn’t that big of a deal, it gave Adrien more of an excuse to invite people over and more chances to mess around. He’d ordered decorations and built up a movie collection, this was going to be the best party ever!

Well... get together really, four people was a bit small for a full party,but still!

Alya threw her arm around Marinette. “Of course we’ll come. Right Marinette?”

Marinette’s face had turned a little red, but she smiled and nodded. “Yeah! I’ll definitely come, and I’ll ask Papa to make something for us.”

“Kind of sucks that you’re not allowed junk food even with friends over,” Nino said.

Adrien shrugged, smirked. “Gotta watch my girlish figure.” He then struck a pose: cocking a hip, putting an arm behind his head, and making a snobbish expression. Nino snorted and covered his mouth.

Alya quirked an eyebrow, seemed to glance at Marinette, who had a bemused-but also amused- look on her face. “So this weekend, right? Not much time to get costumes.”

“Yeah, sorry. Father only gave me permission over lunch, apparently the shoot I was supposed to have this weekend got canceled and he decided to give in this once.”

Alya looked over to Marinette. “You’re already thinking up quick costume designs, aren’t you?”

Marinette gave a sheepish grin and leaned against the stair wall. “Just a few simple things.”

The warning bell rang, making them jump. Adrien adjusted his bag. “So you’ll all come?”

Alya was the first to answer. “Duh! No way we’d miss this!”

Marinette agreed. “Y-yeah! I can’t wait. You’re awesome!” Marinette paused, registering what she’d said and seeing Adrien’s slightly shocked expression. “I-I mean it’ll be awesome. Yeah…” She then grabbed Alya dashed for the door.

Nino fist-bumped Adrien. “I’ll be there. Now come on, if you’re late again Ms. Mendeleiev’ll boil you in acid.”

Meanwhile, as Alya and Marinette dashed ahead to their seats, Alya turned, saying, “Who knew Adrien was such a dork, huh? It’s cute.”

Marinette blushed. “Uh, yeah. Still, why did he invite us? We’re not nearly as close to him as Nino… Why not,” Marinette shuddered, “Chloe? He’s known her forever.”

Alya shrugged. “Well, if he’s inviting _anyone_ from our class, inviting Chloe too would be asking for trouble. The boy’s oblivious, not stupid. As for asking us? Well, maybe you’ve made an impression on him. And Adrien and I sometimes chat on the Ladyblog, so there’s that.”

They switched topics when Adrien and Nino finally made it to their own seats and Ms. Mendeleiev arrived. Marinette could barely concentrate on the lecture, too excited over the chance to go to Adrien’s _house_ (out of costume, without having to deal with an akuma)! She began doodling simple costume designs to work on after school. What to wear, what to wear…

___

The rest of the week passed in a flurry of schoolwork, the occasional akuma attack, and frantic sewing as Marinette worked on her costume designs. She knew it wasn’t really required, but Adrien had seemed so excited about having a Halloween party and she wanted make sure it was everything he hoped.

Saturday morning arrived with Marinette prepared to go to Adrien’s mansion right after school. Costume finished and packed, cookies and fudge from her Papa carefully packed (and hidden until it was time to snack), and extra clothes and essentials all ready.

The school day couldn’t end fast enough, Marinette could barely be bothered to take notes, even Chloe’s usual sniping couldn’t ruin her mood.

As school let out and Marinette followed Alya, Nino, and Adrien to Adrien’s car she heard Chloe call out “Adrikins!” drawing their attention as Chloe came and, as usual, attached herself to Adrien’s side, despite how uncomfortable he looked and his, admittedly gentle, attempts to push her away.

“Adrien,” Chloe said, “You have to come with me to see that new movie tonight! You know ‘The Wind in April’? It’s an exclusive premier!” Chloe paused, as if just now noticing the rest of the group. “What are _you_ doing here?” Sabrina hovered behind Chloe.

Marinette watched Adrien cringe, looking a rather guilty. He’d probably been avoiding telling Chloe about their get together this weekend. If Chloe knew, she’d probably try invite herself or at least involve herself somehow.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry Chloe. I already have plans for tonight, but maybe another time?”

“Can’t you just cancel? It can’t be that important.”

Adrien stood a little firmer. “No, I really can’t. I-”

Chloe interrupted, “What are you all just standing there gawking for? Go! We’re trying to have a conversation here!” She flipped her hair a glared at them.

Alya couldn’t take any more. “Listen, Witchiepoo, Adrien invited us over tonight. He doesn’t get many chances for friends to go to his house. So can you please leave him alone? We need to get going.”

Chloe spluttered for a moment, staring at them. “Wh-what? Why would he invite _you_? Why wasn’t _I_ invited?”

Nino stepped up next to Adrien, putting an arm around his shoulder. Marinette saw that Adrien had begun to shrink into himself, probably getting upset at not including his oldest friend in his plans, despite her generally bad attitude.

“He invited us because we’re his buds, duh,” Nino said, giving Adrien a fond shake.

Marinette spoke up, attempting to be diplomatic. “Chloe, if you came, would you really have any fun?” Marinette knew _they_ probably wouldn’t. But managed to hold her tongue this once.

Chloe scoffed. “Of course! I’m loads of fun!”

Sabrina nodded eagerly in the background. “It’s true! She’s always the life of the party.”

Adrien, still trying to avoid conflict, said, “Chloe, I know you don’t get along well with Marinette and Alya.” Understatement of the year, and he knew it. “ I’ll make it up to you later, okay?”

Chloe pouted, but after a moment seemed to realize she wouldn’t get her way. “Fine. We’ll go next weekend.” She huffed, turning away with nose held high. Sabrina followed.

Adrien somehow managed to look both relieved and guilty. “Sorry about that, guys,” he said.

Nino, arm still slung across Adrien’s shoulders, began to pull him to the car. “It’s fine, dude. We all know what Chloe is like. Speaking of… What was that you called her Alya?”

They all settled in, bags stashed in the trunk by the Gorilla, before Alya answered. “It’s from an old American show my aunt used to watch when she lived in the states. H.R. Pufnstuf? I think that’s it. Apparently the villain was a witch named Witchiepoo. I dunno it’s from, like, the seventies. She showed me a few episodes online, not that I could understand a word of it.”

“You okay, Adrien?” Marinette asked.

He shrugged. “I feel a bit bad I didn’t invite Chloe, but I know it would have been awkward, since she doesn’t get along with...anybody. I’ve kind of been realizing that she’s a lot harder to be around lately, compared to you guys…” At this he seemed to shake himself. “But we’re almost to my house! I can’t wait to show you all the cool decorations I found.”

The car stopped shortly afterward and, after collecting their bags, they filed inside. Much like her previous visit, as Ladybug, Marinette saw that every surface was polished and shining in the light from the windows, all gleaming white and black marble. The portrait of Adrien and Mr. Agreste in mourning loomed above the staircase. It struck Marinette how sad it was that the focal point of the whole room was a giant portrait showing Adrien and his father mourning Mrs. Agreste. She didn’t see any other pictures of the family, only some rather sterile landscape paintings in sepia tones. When she’d been here last as Ladybug she’d only really noticed what she needed to make it defensible-and Mr. Agreste’s wall of Adrien pictures. Though thinking on that-now that she wasn’t distracted by _the wall covered entirely by pictures of Adrien_ \- those had all been professional modeling photos, nothing candid or particularly...warm? Was that the word she was looking for? Still, Adrien seemed happy enough…

Mr. Agreste’s assistant-Nathalie, that was her name- stepped from the hallway at the top of the stairs. Marinette caught sight of black cat brooch pinned to her jacket. “Good afternoon.” She turned to Adrien. “Adrien, I’d like to remind you your father will be out of town until Sunday night. I will be in my quarters if have need of anything.” She addressed the all of them next. “Please remember to behave yourselves and keep any...shenanigans to a minimum.” Nathalie’s impassive face broke into a slight smile. “I hope you enjoy yourselves.” She then turned and headed back into the hallway.

“Your dad’s assistant _lives_ here?” Nino asked.

Adrien shook his head, shrugged. “No, but she has a room set up here in case father needs her to work late or something.”

Adrien led them up the stairs and through the expansive hallways towards his room. He paused a few doors away. “This is the guest room you girls are supposed to use,” he said opening it and flipping a switch. The room was done similarly to the rest of the house: white carpet, dark wood fixtures, a pair of twin bed with black and white patterned covers. The tall windows were covered by dark, thick drapes, light coming from the standing lamps in the corners of the room.

It felt like a hotel room, really. Marinette and Alya set their bags on the beds. Adrien gestured down the hall. “My room’s just at the end of the hall, if you want to take a moment and put on a costume. I’ll go set up some games and a movie.” With that, he and Nino went off down the hall, leaving the girls alone for the moment.

Alya unzipped her bag and pulled out a red piece of cloth. “So did you manage to make a costume?”

Marinette grinned. “Yep. See for yourself!” She dug into her bag and pulled out a fitted black turtleneck with simple green designs and a bell sewn to the collar, followed by black leggings, a strip of cloth sewn on to make a tail and more green designs, and, the part that pulled it all together, an ornately decorated cat mask. She’d had to cheat and alter some clothes she already had due to lack of time, but the mask had been the most time consuming. She’d managed a simple black cat masquerade costume.

On such short notice, the best idea she had was make a Chat Noir costume, especially as Ladybug might have given away her secret. She really wished she could have figured out that belt-tail thing, though. But needs must…

Alya blinked at it and smile. “Nice. Can’t beat that.” She held up her own costume, a ladybug patterned t-shirt, black sweatpants, and a cheap Ladybug mask. Alya shrugged. “No spare cash this week, had to work with what I had.”

They changed, taking a few moments posing in front the mirror above the room’s dresser and taking photos. Alya had even pulled her hair into a pair of, rather messy, pigtails. Finally, they headed to Adrien’s room, box of snacks in hand.

After they left, Tikki poked her head out from Marinette’s bag, smiling. Even if she had to stay hidden, munching on a hidden stash of cookies, it was good to see Marinette getting more time with Adrien. She’d really come far. Tikki paused, that presence… that _smell_. She giggled, maybe she’d have some company soon after all.

___

Adrien was laughing at something Nino had said when the girls arrived. Nino had slapped on some blue face paint and was blowing bubbles while making goofy faces. Adrien, still laughing, had pulled on an amazingly accurate Ladybug costume, clearly custom made and fitted for him. He paused when he saw the girls enter, first linger on Marinette’s Chat Noir costume, and then on Alya’s own Ladybug costume. He huffed, pouted. “Well,” he said. “One of us is going to have to change.” He managed to hold a serious face for about three seconds before bursting into laughter again. “Come on! We need to get pictures!”

Marinette looked around the room as they pulled together for pictures, making as many ridiculous poses as possible. Adrien really _had_ gone all out on decorating his room for this. There were black and orange streamers hanging from the ceiling (Did he do that on his own? Or did the house staff help him?), little plastic jack o’ lanterns lighting the corners, Nino had snuck in a bag of fun size candy bars which now filled a bowl with a ghost’s face. Marinette had placed the snacks she’d brought on the table next to it.

Poses included, but were definitely not limited to, Adrien and Alya squaring off, each determined to prove they were the _real_ Ladybug.

“Imposter!” Adrien cried, Nino filming on his phone with a wide smile. “Chat Noir distract her while I figure out where the akuma is!”

“No!” Alya called back. “He’s clearly the imposter. Let’s take him down!”

Marinette, not entirely sure how to react (but very flattered to have _two_ of her friends dressed as her) just smiled...until a thought occured. Standing between them, she clasped her hands together and purred. “Two Ladybugs!? I’m in heaven!”

Alya burst into laughter, doubling over. Adrien stared at Marinette for moment before he joined in, leaving Marinette feeling quite pleased with herself. She’s pretty sure she hasn’t seen this side of Adrien before. It’s nice. _Really_ nice.

Nino continued his Bubbler routine, now facing of against both “Ladrien” and “Marichat” as Alya snapped pictures all the way up to Bubbler’s dramatic defeat.

Nino let out a long “Nooo!” as he fell to his knees, ending the performance by twitching and making gurgling sounds.

“Good job!” Adrien and Marinette said, fist bumping. (Neither noticed the other’s brief pause afterwards, both feeling a sense of deja vu.)

After several minutes of horsing around, Adrien, breathless with laughter, asked. “So what do you guys want to do? I have a stack of horror movies and some games.”

Said movies included: Eyes Without a Face, Inside, The Exorcist, High Tension, the list went on. Far more movies than was possible to watch in a night.

Marinette looked at the back of one of the cases and turned green. “Adrien? Have you watched any of these yet?”

Adrien rubbed his neck and blushed. “Uh, no. I mostly ordered what seemed most popular.”

Alya looked through the selection, checking some of them out on her phone, and whistled. “Wow. Some of these are pretty hardcore. I’ve seen some scary movies, but… I don’t think i’m quite ready for this level.”

Adrien laughed sheepishly. “Should’ve done more research.”

Nino pulled out a case. “It’s fine, dude. I _know_ this one’s fine. Alya and I watched it when we were watching her siblings. A little creepy, but it’ll be a good warm up.” The movie was Coraline.

___

A few streets away, in a small, but otherwise cheerfully lit and homey bar, Elise Baudin sat with her cheap wine, fuming. She glared at the fliers advertising a Halloween party, barely restraining herself from tearing them down and shredding them. She suspected the bartender would have something to say about that.

Damn Gabriel Agreste! How dare he call her designs too “costume”, too “tacky”. Saying it didn’t fit the design aesthetic of his company. Called her an amateur when she’d graduated from the best design programs, had some of the highest marks and recommendations from her teachers!

She gulped the last dregs of her wine, not even really tasting it. She stood, and as she passed a flier she tore it from the wall, rolling it up, tapping it against her hand. She didn’t know why she’d grabbed it, probably just so she could fidget with it.

Maybe she should do like in those dumb movies and throw toilet paper at his house? No. She wasn’t drunk yet, even if she was pissed.

The worst part was the fact that he’d been so intimidating. Frightening, even. Tearing into her designs with cold-hearted efficiency. As if her effort and credentials meant _nothing_. She’d like to scare him! Make him tremble…

She didn’t see the butterfly land on the rolled up flier, but she answered eagerly when a voice, rich and dark, promised her vengeance.

Fear Monger began to make her towards Agreste mansion, screams and sobs following in her wake through the gloomy sunset.

___

Adrien was silent once the movie was finished. He’d...really related to Coraline in a lot of ways. He didn’t really want to dwell on it right now, though. There were still hours before they’d likely have to go to bed. What should they do now?

Nino stretched and stood. “So. who wants to play on those games? We can see who lasts longest in Five Nights at Freddie’s.”

Alya hummed. “Maybe Left 4 Dead 2? We’ve got a full party.”

It was agreed, and they spent the next hour fighting of the zombie hordes.

“Adrien don’t try to take down a witch with a katana!” Alya yelled, as his character, Nick, was eviscerated. He respawned in a closet a few minutes later.

“Marinette, dude, you’re vicious. Was the rocket launcher necessary?”

Marinette replied, “They were zombie clowns. It was _very_ necessary.” She then had Ellis punch one of the corpses. Never again. Not after that one akuma. Nope.

Nathalie did check on them during this time. If she noticed the junk food Mr. Agreste had forbidden, she didn’t mention it.

They finished the scenario with only Nino and Marinette surviving. Adrien had given his life saving Marinette from a tank, and Alya had wandered too far away from the helicopter to reach it before it left.

Still, Alya had the most kills overall.

After this, they began to settle down, beginning to come down from sugar highs and the adrenaline of zombie slaying.

The lights flickered. Adrien stood and went to the tall windows, seeing the sun had completely set. Rain was pattering against the windows, not hard but still constant. He thought he could hear the wind howling.

He thought he caught the tail end of a song, something he’d played on piano when he’d started his lessons…

**Yes, Mister Punchinello. You make mischief but to calm down your anger the devil will come to beat you, the devil is stronger than you.**

The lights went out as a cackle filled the air, Adrien thought he felt the ground shifting beneath his feet. Someone screamed and the world lurched.

And then Adrien was falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to write something spooky for this season, I don't think it'll be more than four-ish chapters, but I'm not sure yet.
> 
> Hopefully I can make this pleasantly scary after this very fluffy start. Also, if anyone seems out-of-character, please tell me. I'm not sure I have totally firm handle yet, but I think I do...
> 
> Happy Halloween!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to warn for mentions of blood and possibly disturbing imagery. I'm also going to put it in the tags, but I want to make sure you guys know what you're in for. 
> 
> Also, I'm not sure this needs an M rating, but if you feel it does, please let me know!

Plagg clung to Tikki, watching through the darkness as the walls warped, squirmed, twisted. It was like watching slugs and snakes slither under the wallpaper, made worse by the lack of actual light. He was kind of glad Tikki couldn’t see this. Unfortunately, he was sure she could _hear_ it. The creaking and snapping, like old bones in catacombs. There was an indescribable stench that brought to mind Death’s head hawkmoths. This had the definite feel of an akuma. Whoever Papillon had gotten to this time was apparently a real piece of work.

This was bad. He didn’t want to think what’d happen if they tried phasing through the walls.

“It’s rearranging. I can feel it,” Tikki whispered. “The space inside is twisting too. It’s wrong.” Plagg wasn’t sure if she was the one trembling or him. Probably both. The atmosphere was filled with a decaying miasma. It wasn’t like Papillon’s previous akumas.

It felt evil.

Not frustrated or angry. Just plain malevolent.

They had both worried Papillon might eventually pick a person who could do some _serious_ damage. It seemed he’d finally done it.

Was it on purpose? Or had Papillon bitten off more than he could chew this time?

The kwamis floated in the middle of the shifting room, waiting for the changes to end. They needed to find their chosen, but first they needed to find a way out of here.

___  
 **Attic**

Adrien opened his eyes to a bare wooden ceiling, latticed in shadows from the support beams and coated with dusty cobwebs. His head throbbed, dust irritated his nose, and he thought he smelled something metallic. What had happened? Had he been knocked unconscious?

He stood slowly, testing the strength of his legs. He wasn’t dizzy, but his balance still felt… _off_. As if he were standing on a slight incline. Looking around, he thought he might be in the attic. But how had he gotten there?

There was the attic window, tall and square. But...Adrien couldn’t see anything outside it. No clouds with moonlight pushing through from behind, not even the rain that had been pounding before...whatever had happened. There was only solid blackness beyond the glass. It kind of reminded Adrien of the pictures of Vantablack he’d online. More like a gaping void in his sight than just darkness.

“Plagg?” Adrien called. He had bad feeling, an electric shiver up his spine, raising his hackles. He recalled Plagg had mentioned hiding out in the kitchen while his friends were around, but he’d hoped Plagg would come running after… What?

A power outage? Had someone dragged him up here as a prank after he blacked out? He didn’t think any his friends would do that… He was pretty sure none of them knew how to get to the attic, either. 

Adrien looked up. The lights weren’t on and there was no light from the window. How could he see? He wasn’t transformed, so he didn’t have his night vision.

Judging from the shadows extending from the old boxes and containers stacked around him, Adrien guessed wherever the light-dim, and orange- was coming from, it was to his left.

The attic wasn’t large, just a bit of storage space. The floors didn’t creak under Adrien’s steps, and he was grateful, though there were eddies of dust rising around his feet and threatening to make him sneeze.

Adrien controlled his breathing. There wasn’t anything to worry about, yet. He was Chat Noir, he could handle most anything the world threw at him.

So why did he feel the need to be so quiet? To creep around and press close to the boxes as if he were trespassing in his own attic?

Probably just the normal creep factor of being in a gloomy attic after watching a creepy movie.

Did the attic seem larger than usual? He wasn’t up here often, so he couldn’t be sure. It _felt_ like he had moved farther the attic actually was, though.

Someone was humming. A man? The voice seemed familiar, just on the edge of Adrien’s memory. Had his father hummed like that before? It was a cheerful song, fast-paced. But Adrien couldn’t place it.

Was it the same song he had heard before the blackout? ...Punchinello. Oh! Harlequin in His Shop. Adrien wasn’t particularly fond of that song.

That metallic smell was getting stronger, making Adrien’s stomach churn. He was really wishing he didn’t have such a strong nose.

There. Adrien peeked around the corner of a large box-Why did they have boxes large enough to completely hide behind? He didn’t remember these...- to see a figure hunched over a table. Covered in melting candles, the wax dripping slowly down the sides and making grotesque faces, the table was made of reddish wood, and long enough to lie down on. The candlelight seemed too steady, the flames never flickered, the shadows didn’t twitch. Adrien almost thought they might have been fake candles, but for the wax dripping.

In fact, there was a someone on the table, in the gaps between the candles, still and unmoving. Their bare legs shined strangely in the candlelight. Adrien could just see a tangled strands of dull blonde hair reaching from beyond the man’s arm.

Adrien could only really make out the man’s silhouette. At least, he thought it was a man from the voice and the broadness of the shoulders. Whoever they were, their movements seemed twitchy, the hands lowering to touch the figure on the table, before flying up again, like insects. What were they doing here? Was something wrong with the person on the table?

Plagg wasn’t there, so Adrien couldn’t transform. His heart pounding, throat drying out, Adrien wondered if he should confront them. If they were dangerous, he wouldn’t have his usual durability or strength to protect him.

Adrien thought he heard a muffled sob under the humming.

He took a deep breath, glanced around for something, anything to defend himself with if things went bad. He really wished he hadn’t left the yoyo for his costume on his bed. He probably wouldn’t be nearly as good as Ladybug, but it’d be something.

There! Entombed in dust and cobwebs was an old broom, probably from the last time someone thought to clean up here. Though, why wasn’t it already clean? Shouldn’t the house staff have maintained it? Or was he wrong about that?

Still, he picked up the broom, wiping away the cobwebs and biting his tongue when a spider crawled onto his hand. He flicked it away, before feeling the weight of the broom.

Not great, but it’d do.

The humming had stopped. Now that quiet sobbing was easier to make out, along with a rhythmic tapping, like someone flicking their nail against porcelain.

Adrien turned back to look around the corner of the box. The hunched figure had shifted, working at the foot of the table, leave a clear view of the figure on top.

It was difficult to make out the person’s features in the shadows cast the flames, Adrien thought the sobbing was coming from them, though. If this was someone in trouble, he couldn’t just leave them. Even if he couldn’t transform.

He crept around the box, keeping his back to it, leaning forward. He held his breath, praying his heart wasn’t as loud as it sounded to his ears. The person’s face, obscured by their hair, came into view. Adrien gulped, couldn’t take his eyes off her. Couldn’t bring himself to breath.

Mom?

There was clatter from the side of the table, making Adrien jump. He shouted, turned. The other figure, he’d almost forgotten.

The figure had turned to him, was staring at him, its face half shadowed. Adrien caught the glint of something dark covering its eyes. Sunglasses?

Adrien stepped back as the figure stepped forward, looming above impossibly tall, a wave bearing down on Adrien. The light illuminated its face and Adrien screamed.

 

___

**First Floor**

Nino awoke slowly, shivering and curled into a tight ball and pressing himself against the wall. Had he fallen asleep with his window open again? He shifted, there was a crick in his neck.

His fingers were starting to go numb, his ears were beginning to ache. The cold was too much to ignore. This was more like in a freezer than just leaving his window open.

Nino squinted his eyes open. “Shit!” He pushed himself up, staring around at what had been Adrien’s room.

It was covered in frost. From the couch to the computer monitors to the climbing wall, everything had gained a thin layer of ice and snow. Nino could see his breath steaming in the air.

What the _hell_ happened here? An akuma? Critical AC malfunction? Nino stood, clutching himself and shivering. Man it was cold! He needed to find something warmer than his long sleeved t-shirt. He made his way to Adrien’s bed and tugged the comforter around himself, teeth chattering. Something _thunked_ to the floor. A yoyo? It’d probably come with Adrien’s Ladybug costume.

Boy had it _bad_. Nino put it in his pocket. Who knew? It might be useful. At least he wouldn’t be bored.

Where was everybody? This had better not be a prank! But then again, this would going too far for a prank, even for Alya or Adrien. (And though Adrien acted like a goody two-shoes most of the time, he could be a little shit when he felt like it.)

Nino looked around the room, but there didn’t seem to be much of use. He could probably swipe some of Adrien’s clothes for some extra layers (Adrien wouldn’t care.). Adrien was a bit thinner than Nino, but whatever.

So, having pulled on some of Adrien’s looser sweaters and resettled the blanket on his shoulders, Nino made his way for the door.

The handle took a few moments to work because it seemed to be frozen.

Nino had a bad feeling this might be an akuma. Was it really a good idea to go out there? Maybe he should wait for Ladybug and Chat Noir…

But who knew when they’d finally get here? He might freeze first.

Nino opened the door and stepped into the hallway. His jaw dropped.

There were icicles hanging from the ceiling! They hung, long and sharp, like fangs. If one fell it could probably do some serious damage. There were snow drifts starting to build up in the corners and the doorways. A layer of ice had begun working its way up the walls.

_What the hell?_

Nino tugged the blanket over his head to protect it at least a bit, and walked down the hall, He tried the doors, but they seemed frozen shut. The snow crunched under his shoes, and as he turned the corner he froze.

There was something very large and very furry sniffing around a set stairs leading up.

___

**Ground Floor**

Alya sat up with a start, heart racing, breath heaving. She clutched her chest, willed herself to calm down. Her throat felt raw.

Oh right. She’d screamed when the power went out.

“Marinette? Guys?” she called. The room was pretty dark. She could make out a few paintings on the walls through the murk. She bounced in her seat. This wasn’t Adrien’s room.

She seemed to be sitting on a loveseat in some kind of parlor. There was a fireplace, some overstuffed chairs. A gigantic window framed by heavy looking drapes.  
Alya did a double take at the window. No stars, no streetlights. Even if it was overcast there should be _some_ light, right? That was just… a void. She almost felt like it was moving.

Alya rubbed her arms. The light she could see seemed to be coming from a few candlesticks set on the coffee table in front of her and on the mantelpiece. They didn’t do much to brighten the room, there was barely enough light to keep her from stubbing her toes.

There were photos on the mantelpiece and a large portrait above it. Alya couldn’t quite make any of them out, though.

She stood and turned, looking around the room. She seemed to be alone. Had the others put here as some kind of prank? Maybe she’d just dozed and they’d carried her here.

Something creaked behind Alya, causing her to whirl.

Nothing.

“Guys?” she called again. No answer, not even the creaking sound she’d heard. Only silence.

Where was the door? This room gave her heebie jeebies.

Alya stepped around the coffee table, closer to the fireplace. Now that she was closer she could kind of make out the pictures.

Why would Gabriel Agreste have a bunch of pictures of headless women? Was this a decoration Adrien hadn’t shown them? There was just the neck, and then… nothing.

“This really isn’t funny guys! Come on!” Nobody came. Alya shivered.

She finally saw the door, over to her right. Padding across, Alya couldn’t help glancing around and behind, checking the shadowed corners, half convinced something was there watching her. She dug in her pocket for the cheap yoyo she’d brought for her costume. If this _was_ a prank, someone was getting it to the face.

The door glided open silently onto a hallway lit by wall sconces. Alya was pretty sure those hadn’t been there before. The flames flickered, making the shadows twitch. There were more portraits along both sides of the hall. More headless women, this time joined by headless men, as well.

Alya took a deep breath, vowing again that if this was a prank, she would rain hell down on whoever’s idea this was. She stepped into the hallway, walking past the headless paintings.

There was a click. When Alya turned she saw that the door had closed, apparently on its own. She walked a bit faster.

The further she went, the more disturbing the portraits became. Instead of just ending at the neck, some pictures showed blood dripping from the stump. The clothes on the figures, all modern clothing, not unlike what Alya saw celebrities wearing, became more ragged.

She didn’t even realize she had started running until she felt her breath was coming in short gasps.

Alya bent over, hands on her knees. What was going on? There was no way there could be hallway that long in here! The mansion wasn’t _that_ big.

When Alya looked up she saw she’d come to a crossroads. She could continue forward, or go left.

Or she could enter the door on her right.

Alya put her hand on the door handle. Maybe there’d be someone who could show her the way back to Adrien’s room. Then she could ream out her friends for such a dumb prank.

It had to be a prank.

The door opened as quietly as the other one had.When Alya looked into the she had to bite back a scream.

There were dozens of heads, male and female, sitting in glass cases lining either side of the room, candles set bronze in stands on either side of each case. The faces were ashen, their eyes closed. Alya was disturbed to note that they all seemed perfectly made up, even through the candlelit darkness.

It was like something from a slasher film.

And in the center stood a figure in a black suit with their back to Alya, apparently staring up at a giant portrait of Gabriel Agreste.

The figure had no head.

___

**Outside**

Fear Monger stood just inside the gate opening onto the mansion’s property, her magic twisting through the air as venomous purple ribbons. Already two souls had succumbed and the rest would follow. When Gabriel returned, it would be to see that all he knew was twisted beyond recognition.

Pity he hadn’t been there when she arrived, though. But she was patient.

As was her benefactor.

“Hurry up, Sabrina! We don’t have all night.”

“Coming!”

Fear Monger turned to the source of that utterly _grating_ voice. Two girls, a blonde in a yellow jacket and another in a sweater vest and glasses. They were rounding the corner and hadn’t seen her yet.

Fear Monger grinned, and lashed out with a tendril of power.

The girl with glasses screamed as she was taken into the air and thrown toward the mansion. “Have a nice flight!” The blonde trembled, staring at Fear Monger. Another tendril lashed out, encircling the girl tightly. Fear Monger brought her close, grinning and showing rows of needle like teeth. “Going down?” she whispered. The tendril loosened and the girl fell screaming; instead of hitting the ground the girl tumbled into darkness, the earth sealing up behind her.

Silly? A bit. But the surges of fear she drank in from the mansion made her giddy, like she’d had too much caffeine.

And already, another one succumbed to her curse.

___

**Basement**

Marinette groaned and clutched her head, unable to even gather the will to sit up, unable to even consider opening her eyes. She could feel light trying to pierce through her eyelids. What had happened? The power had gone out, Alya had screamed, and then? Marinette focused on her breathing, waiting for the throbbing in her skull to fade, before flexing, testing her limbs. Nothing seemed broken, or even really injured. Just her head. She rolled onto her side, braced herself against the floor.

It was cold tile, not the carpet from Adrien’s room. Marinette squinted her eyes open, slammed them shut again. It was too bright. Where was all the light coming from?

Blinking rapidly to acclimate to the light, Marinette sat up. She was tempted to call out, but when she thought back to the sudden blackout, the feeling of the ground twisting beneath her feet, she decided against it. If this was an akuma, she didn’t want to get attention just yet. She hoped everyone else was okay…

Once her vision adjusted, Marinette looked around, gaping.

A hall of mirrors? She saw herself reflected back hundreds, _thousands_ of times. Floor length mirrors in golden frames hung around the circular room, four paths radiating out from it. The sight of herself from so many angles was...uncomfortable. Like the reflections weren’t quite right. Ornate gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling and into the paths, their light reflected into an almost unbearable intensity. Each path had an archway engraved with what looked like animals, though Marinette couldn’t make out what they from where she sat in the center of the room.

Even the floor was mirrored, not tile like she’d originally thought. It made Marinette feel like she was going to fall or drown any moment. She made the decision to avoid looking down, it gave her vertigo.

Did the Agreste’s mansion have a mirror maze? That seemed like something Adrien would have mentioned…

Marinette looked up as she heard… a whistle? No, a scream. There was no ceiling, it extended up into blackness. Was someone falling? Marinette braced herself, maybe she’d be able to catch them. They could get seriously hurt if they hit the tile.

A flash of yellow appeared in the darkness, approaching. Marinette gritted her teeth, tried to position herself.

_Thump!_

“Unf!” Marinette coughed from her new position on the ground, holding whoever had been dropped. She wasn’t sure how she wasn’t injured, and considering the person was clinging to her and sobbing, they seemed to be okay as well. Marinette was sure she’d have a bruise come tomorrow morning, though.

“Thank you! Thank you! I thought I was going to be a pancake!” The person lifted their head and froze, staring at Marinette.

“Chloe?” Marinette asked. “What are you doing here?”

Chloe pushed herself off of Marinette and scooted a few feet away, avoided Marinette’s eyes. Chloe pulled out a tissue and started dabbing at the corners of her eyes. Her makeup was running.

“I- I was just minding my own business when an akuma threw me down here! It was awful! Look, my makeup’s ruined!”

An akuma? Crap! She needed to get out of here and find Tikki, fast!

Marinette pushed herself up and looked around at the four hallways. “We need to find a way out of here.” If the akuma had thrown Chloe in here, then this was probably part of a trap or something. She needed to find the others, there was no telling what kind of danger they could be in.

Chloe was still pouting on the ground and trying to fix her makeup. Still, Marinette could see she was trembling. That was weird. Chloe usually reacted more dramatically to akuma attacks, almost like they were more of an inconvenience than a danger, but…

She seemed terrified.

“Chloe? Are you okay?”

“Yes!” Chloe snapped. She stood dusted off her pants, and finally seemed to look around. She took a moment pat her hair back into place. “Let’s- let’s just go.” She huffed and made for an archway.

Marinette dashed forward and grabbed Chloe’s arm. “Wait. We don’t know if that’s the right way.”

Chloe huffed and crossed her arms, but didn’t argue.

Okay, now Marinette _knew_ something was weird. Chloe was always trying to pick a fight with her, even if there was an akuma.

There was movement out of the corner of Marinette’s eye. When she turned, though, there was only her and Chloe’s reflections. And they still felt a bit off. Marinette shivered. All these reflections, the ridiculously bright lights. She felt exposed.

She took a breath. “Let’s look at those pillars. Maybe there’s something on them that’ll give us a clue.”

“Hurry up. You don’t want to stay here too long,” a voice said with a giggle.

“Was that you?” Chloe asked.

Marinette shook her head. “No. You?”

Chloe moved closer to Marinette, holding her arms and hunching down a bit.

The voice spoke again. “They say mirrors can trap the soul. You’d better hurry before yours get stuck here.”

The glass in the middle of the floor cracked.

___

**Attic**

“Father,” Adrien whispered, trembling backing away a step, raising the broom in defense. But it wasn’t, not really. The large button eyes shining in the candlelight, the stitches holding his father’s mouth in a grimace. There were dribbles of blood where the stitches passed through his lips. His suit, normally immaculate with every stitch and fold precise, had what looked like dried blood flaking off the sleeves up to the elbow. This terrible copy, this Other Father (It couldn’t be his real father. No! His father was out of town, right? Or had he come back for some reason?), tilted its head. Its nostrils flared as it took a wheezing, whistling breath. Adrien flinched back into the box behind him when the _thing_ leaned toward him, sniffing like a dog. Adrien stared into those button eyes, seeing his own warped reflection.

“Adrien?” asked a soft voice, like a midsummer breeze from behind the Other Father. “My dear Adrien.” A shadow appeared over the Other Father’s shoulder.

Adrien couldn’t stop the whimper rising in his throat. The figure he’d thought was his mother stood there with a wide smile, her skin porcelain and haloed by candlelight.

A jagged crack split her face in half, moths fluttering and crawling in and out of it. Strings fell from her wrists and elbows and dragged along the floor behind her.

“I’ve missed you, my sunshine,” she said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will admit I don't have a huge amount of experience writing horror, but I mostly like how this came out. Please let me know what you think and if I actually managed at least a chill. :P
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I really wanted to post this on Halloween. Of course, that didn't happen. Oh well, just because Halloween is over, doesn't mean this story is. Hope you guys enjoy!

Tikki breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the world fall back into place. It was still altered, twisted and distorted by the akuma’s power, but it was steady and solid now. No more of that sick, squirming of space and bending of dimensions. Plagg was still clinging to her, still staring around at the room. She didn’t envy his night vision that night.

“Come on,” she whispered as the last dregs of dark magic wound away. “We have to find Marinette and Adrien.”

For once, Plagg didn’t backtalk. He kept looking at the walls, probably trying to find the best way out. “Do any of these walls feel off to you?” he asked.

Tikki flitted about the room, feeling the solidity of the walls, trying to sense any hidden distortions. It all seemed solid now. The floors seemed _thick_ though, as if they’d been coated or filled with something. “We should be fine phasing through the walls. I wouldn’t want to try the floors, though. ” Tikki shivered. The temperature seemed to be dropping quickly. Not good. Their tiny bodies didn’t tend to do well in the cold.

Plagg sneezed, rubbed his nose. “Got it. Let’s hurry before we’re popsicles.”

They slipped through the door and into a hallway quickly being overtaken by frost. Plagg sniffed at the air, Tikki’s antennae twitched. It seemed that whatever magic twisted the house had also erased the scents of their chosen. That would make things more difficult. They set off down the hall, trying to keep high and in the shadows. Neither of them were sure which way to actually go. The way the house had twisted, even Plagg couldn’t be sure where everything was now.

“Do you smell anything, Plagg?”

He shook his head. “Just snow and...monkey dander?” He seemed confused by that. Tikki was pretty sure the Agrestes didn’t keep monkeys.

“Does Mr. Agreste keep hunting trophies around?” she asked.

Plagg shook his head. “No. Most of this place is pretty sterile. No place to raise a playful kitten like Adrien.” Plagg had puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. Tikki knew from experience that if she pushed just the right way, Plagg could- and would- talk about his chosen for hours, as long as it was just her. He’d never admit to it though. Now, however, wasn’t the time.

There was a snuffling sound up ahead, around the next corner.

Plagg grimaced. “Ugh. Monkey smell. Why am I smelling monkeys!?”

They got their answer when they rounded the corner and saw the giant, white beast sniffing around a staircase.

It turned, growling, to stare at them with bright yellow eyes.

**Attic**

Adrien’s mother, the broken doll, stood eerily still beyond the twisted form of Adrien’s father. “My sunshine,” she whispered. “Come here. It’s been so long.”

Adrien gulped, edged alongside the box. That- that _couldn’t_ be his mother. Just like that _thing_ wasn’t his father. Th-this had to be an akuma. Or some kind of trick.

Right?

Had his father been akumatized somehow?

The Other Father… thing pulled back and stood beside the doll. It tilted its head as if listening to something before standing at attention.

“Come here, Adrien,” the doll said. Was her mouth even moving? It was hard to tell. “Give your mother a hug.” She took a step forward. Something creaked.

Adrien couldn’t seem to make himself move. He should be running! Finding a way out of here, finding his friends!

His heart raced faster the closer the doll got, her pale, shining arms held out for him. “My child, my sunshine,” she whispered.

A cold hand brushed against Adrien’s cheek.

_Adrien felt the chill run down his spine as he saw one person after another fall beneath Simon’s spell. Would he be next? Again?_

_The arrow pierced his back and he felt rage bubbling in his stomach. Ladybug. He hated Ladybug. He’d_ destroy _Ladybug. Destroy her utterly._

 _Adrien didn’t even have time to scream when the cloying perfume surrounded him, filling his lungs. His last conscious moment was spent pleading,_ begging, _please. No!_

 _Time seemed to slow as the light crept from the soles of his boots and up his body. He couldn’t feel his legs, couldn’t move. Not again._ Please _not again. No more._

 _”No, Adrien. You cannot go to public school. It’s too dangerous._ Just do as I say _.”_

_”Goodnight, my sunshine. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you in the morning.” But when the sun rose, she was gone._

Adrien was gasping when the hand left his face, his cheeks felt damp. What? What had that-

“You’ll never be alone again, my sunshine,” the doll said. She held out a hand. The Other Father tenderly took her hand and put something in it.

It was a needle, thread, and a pair of buttons.

“We’ll be a family again.”

**First Floor**

The thing kept snuffling around the stairway, like a dog on a scent. Nino really hoped he wasn’t what the thing was looking for. That would suck.

Nino only really had two choices at this point. Go back to Adrien’s room, maybe try to open one of the doors he’d passed again. Or try to get past whatever the hell _that_ was. Dart up the stairs, or run around the corner.

The creature’s head lifted, as if it had heard a sudden noise. Nino thought he might be hearing it too. Something high-pitched.

He wasn’t sure what it was. It was just on the edge of his hearing. It could be a tea kettle for all he knew. He was just glad the thing seemed to be distracted by it.

The creature lumbered off down the corridor past the corner, leaving the stairs unguarded. This was his chance.

Was it really a good idea to go _upstairs_ , though? That was one of the most common mistakes in horror movies, you couldn’t easily escape from the upper floors.

Nino shivered. Then again, heat rose and he was freezing. Hopefully, that akuma or whatever it was wouldn’t sniff him out. Or at least wouldn’t be able to climb the stairs.

The frost crusted ground crunched under Nino’s feet, despite his best attempts to move quietly. He _really_ didn’t want to attract that thing’s attention back here.

The first several steps were also rimed in frost, slowly thawing as Nino ascended. He nearly tripped and fell back down by the sixth and seventh steps, seeing as they were coated in an invisible layer of damp ice. He swallowed and willed his heart to start beating again as he clutched the rails. The temperature rose to more comfortable levels the further he went, finally arriving at a plain, unfinished door.

It creaked when Nino pushed it open, because of course it did.

The stairway opened on a dark room, just enough light to see by from a few candles. There were boxes everywhere, some tall, some squat. The room seemed far too wide from where Nino stood. Almost like it didn’t actually belong as part of the mansion. Dust motes floated in the candlelight like strange creatures.

Nino let the blanket drop to his shoulders and stepped further into the room, probably the attic by the looks of things. Despite the dark and the gloom, it was at least warmer up here. Nino didn’t have to fear if he was going to lose his toes.

Something made Nino’s ears prick up. Just on the edge of hearing. Crying? Begging? He stepped closer to the boxes, moving slowly, paying close attention. There didn’t seem to be any other sounds, even Nino’s footsteps were muted up here.

The sound grew louder as Nino crept past the boxes, checking around the corners so nothing would surprise him. If he weren’t so freaked out, he might’ve likened this to the Lost Woods. Having to follow his ears.

But to what?

It was definitely crying. No, sobbing. Full on body shaking, hiccupping, make-your-throat-raw-for-days sobbing. And the voice was familiar.

Adrien.

Nino quickened his pace, following the sound of Adrien’s sobs. He’d never heard him sound like this. He was usually so chill. When we was down, he just got resigned. He never really cried that Nino knew of.

Shit. Nino needed to find him, _yesterday_.

“Bro? Adrien?” Nino called into the gloom.

He wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not when nothing answered. The crying continued.

Shit. Adrien really needed him.

The lights got brighter as Nino approached the source of the crying. It was just around the corner when Nino thought he heard a voice beneath the sobbing. A soft humming, like a lullaby.

Nino carefully peeked around the next box and bit his tongue to keep from yelling.

There was Adrien, huddled against another box, sobbing as a woman brushed his cheek. She seemed to be holding something in her other hand. It glinted in the candlelight. There was a taller figure standing in the shadows, back straight, arms clasped behind him.

That pose was familiar.

No time to worry about that. His bro needed him. Nino pulled out the yoyo and strung it on his hand. He was no Ladybug, but he had good aim and a lot of guts.

He crept from his hiding spot, staying to the shadows. They hadn’t seen him yet.

Just a bit closer. There!

“Hey assholes!” Nino drew back his arm and threw the yoyo at the woman’s face when she turned. It connected with a sound like shattering glass, sending her reeling back, clutching her face. The yoyo retracted back to Nino’s hand.

The taller figure was moving toward Nino. Nino tugged the blanket from his shoulders, rammed into the figure, throwing the blanket over their head. Nino gave a hard shove, knocking the person down.

Nino dashed to Adrien, still huddled, sobbing, about to collapse. He pulled Adrien’s arm over his shoulder tugged him away into the maze of boxes, praying they could get some distance before whoever those people were recovered.

Adrien couldn’t seem to get his footing, so Nino had to drag him. They needed to move!

“Come on, Adrien. I’ve got you. I’m here,” Nino said. He couldn’t tell if Adrien was nodding or if his head was just bobbing. Still, he seemed to start making more of an effort to move on his own. They’d never get away if Nino had to drag Adrien the whole way.

There was a screeching yell behind them, followed by a groan. Several dark things flew by Nino’s face, slapping against his cheeks, almost getting into his eyes.

Moths. Really big moths.

“Give me my son!” The screech came from above them. Nino managed to tilt his head to see the woman suspended from the ceiling as she swooped upon them. He managed to drop himself and Adrien to the side, trying to maintain momentum, to keep moving for the stairs.

Nino’d take a yeti-thing over this crazy hag hurting his friend.

There were footsteps pounding behind them now, too. The other guy must have gotten up.

Adrien seemed to finally get his footing, though he still clung to Nino. Come on, they just needed a few more seconds!

There was the door! With a final burst of speed, Nino and Adrien launched themselves at the door, Nino pulling it shut behind them. Nino vaguely heard something slam into the door, but couldn’t spare any thought for it.

He and Adrien were tumbling down the stairs.

**Ground Floor**

Alya stepped back, nails digging painfully into her palms, jaw clenched. She slid a hand into her pocket and clutched the yoyo. This was really looking less like a prank and more like an akuma. Though it was a lot more grim than any akuma she’d ever seen before. They were usually so flamboyant.

She started to back away, forcing herself to breath.

Before she even managed one step, all the heads opened their eyes and stared at her. They all started _screaming_.

Alya flinched, and saw that the figure at the head of the room had turned around. She got the horrible impression it was glaring at her, though it had no eyes.

The figure started walking toward her, long steps devouring the distance before Alya could turn around.

Alya twisted and ran, nearly tripping over her own feet when there was a shattering sound behind, followed by a wailing. She felt something brush against her hair. Had that thing tried to grab her?

The wailing grew louder as Alya raced down the hall, frantically searching for a way out, any way out. Something moved in the corner of her eye.

She shrieked when she saw several heads floating on either side of her, moaning, wailing. They sounded like a storm, a wave of damned souls crying to drag her down with them. Her breath started to come in short gasps, though she kept her feet moving, around one corner and the next. She was totally lost by this point. But what did it even matter?

She still felt something brushing against her hair, the heads kept pace with her. There was no way to outrun them. Her strength would give out soon.

Where were Ladybug and Chat Noir!? They always saved her!

Alya took a turn too sharply, twisted her foot and slammed into the wall, the wind knocked out of her. She coughed, groaned, crumpled to the floor. The heads surrounded her, jeering and cackling. The headless figure step from the darkness and stood in front of her.

The figure raised a hand with a slow, deliberate motion. It slid its hand into its coat, started pulling something out.

It was a small, silver hand mirror. The figure turned the glass toward itself, as if it were checking its appearance. Its free went up, making motions as if it were brushing its face.

All the while, those heads kept shrieking, jeering, laughing. Alya realized to her horror that she recognized some of the faces.

Most were models she’d seen magazines, men and women with strong profiles, high cheekbones, large eyes. There was one she recognized, though. She’d seen her just a few hours ago.

Nathalie’s head stared down at her from back of the group of heads, her face twisted in a grimace.

Alya turned back to the headless figure- Did it seem more feminine than Alya had noticed before?- when she caught a flash of movement.

The figure had turned the glass toward her.

From where she sat, it looked like Alya’s head was on the figure’s shoulders.

**Basement**

Marinette watched the crack for a moment, Chloe clinging to her. It didn’t seem to be spreading.

Yet.

“Here, you check these and I’ll look at the the arches on the other side,” Marinette said before taking off.

The myriad reflections made her feel like she was being watched, stalked from all sides. She made herself avoid looking at them, no matter how badly her instincts were screaming at her that she was surrounded.

The first archway Marinette looked at had swarms of butterflies carved on it. Each wing and antenna carve painstakingly fine, as if they would lift off in a delicate cloud at any moment. They were pretty, but considering they were attached to an akuma attack, they probably didn’t mean anything good.

She moved to the second arch. Spiders crawled amid a glittering golden web, made with the same level of detail as the butterflies. Marinette still wasn’t sure what they meant, if anything.

“Chloe, what do you have?” Marinette called. When she looked over she saw Chloe crouched at the base of the opposite archway. “Chloe?”

Chloe stood and turned. She was biting her lip. “The one over there had foxes. This one has snakes. Really gross snakes.”

Foxes, snakes, spiders, and butterflies. Did that even mean anything?

“Do you need a little hint? It’s no fun if you don’t even have a chance…” The voice seemed to come from just over Marinette’s shoulder. She turned, but there was no one. Her heart quickened when her eyes met her reflection’s. It almost didn’t seem like her. Just… something that _looked_ like her.

There was a sharp snap as the crack in the floor widened. Marinette thought she saw something splash up from within the crack.

Chloe flinched when the voice spoke again. There was a clear bite to it this time. “Mirrors trap souls. If you _have_ one that is. Right, Chloe?”

Marinette was beginning to think the voice sounded familiar. Why did it single out Chloe?

Foxes, snakes, spiders, butterflies. What did they mean?

Chloe was curling in on herself again. What was with her? Usually nothing cracked that shell of self-adoration. Marinette walked over to her, keeping well away from the crack. 

She could hear it shifting. The crackle of the glass snapping inch by inch. Underneath that was another sound. What was it?

Marinette raised an arm to put around Chloe’s shoulders, but hesitated. She wasn’t sure Chloe would appreciate being touched, even if she was trembling and looked on the verge of tears.

“Chloe?”

Chloe’s breathing became rapid, she clutched her chest. Was she hyperventilating?! Marinete wasn’t sure what to do.

“Chloe, breathe!” Marinette said, finally grabbing Chloe’s shoulders and pulling her down to a crouch. Chloe was looking pale. Ergh… “Um, put your head between your legs, try not to pass out.” What was she supposed to do?!

Chloe was now squatting with her hands on her head and her head between her knees. Her breathing was coming in gasps. Was this an anxiety attack? Marinette didn’t really know Chloe enough to be sure if she had any major triggers. But what could have set her off? Marinette had never seen Chloe like this.

There was a louder snap, and Marinette looked up to see the crack had widened again. There seemed to be a rushing, roaring sound coming up from it.

“Chloe,” Marinette said, forcing her voice to remain even. “I need you to focus. Can you do that. If we don’t get out of here soon, the floor is probably going to collapse.” Marinette grimaced. Telling her that might just make things worse; too late now. “We have four ways we can go, okay? Spiders, foxes, snakes, and butterflies. Do you have any clue which way we should go? You saw the akuma, right? Maybe that could give us a clue.” Marinette forced her eyes to stay on Chloe even as there was another loud snap, followed by the sound of a splash. There was a thick roaring, rushing sound.

“Come on Chloe. I need you to focus. Please.”

Chloe’s breathing was still heavy, but she swallowed and seemed to steady to herself a bit. “Th- there were so many teeth. And she had a mask…” Chloe shuddered. “She looked like a-a hummingbird or something.”

That didn’t really tell Marinette anything. “Well, what about all this talk about so- Aaagh!” Marinette grabbed Chloe and kicked off to the side. Something dark and wet slammed into the floor where they had been. Marinette had barely been able to react to its reflection in order to get out of the way.

The thing squirmed and writhed for a few moments, before falling still. It looked like a goldfish crossed with a spider, too many legs and large, diaphanous fins. It seeped a venomous looking purple sludge. Marinette wanted to throw up looking at it.

She thought she heard more splashes. She really didn’t want to know if anything else was going jump out of the ever growing pit.

Souls. The voice had emphasized souls. What did that mean?

Chloe was still breathing heavily and was now clutching Marinette’s arm. “What is that? What is that!?” She seemed on the verge of hysteria.

“Chloe, we have to get out of here. Do you have any clue why that voice keeps talking about souls? Any idea which way to go?” They’d have to choose soon. More pieces of the mirrored floor were crumbling into the abyss. The roaring and splashing getting louder. Was the water- or whatever it was- rising?

“I-I think I remember something about souls and butterflies. Adrien liked fairy tales when we were little. He said some old Greek stories said souls were butterflies o-or something . I don’t know!” Chloe’s voice cracked. She was on the verge of a serious meltdown.

Butterflies. It was the best guess they had. No time for another. Only a jagged rim of glass around the edge of the room was left now, the darkness beneath seemed to churn and rise to grab at them.

“Come on,” Marinette grabbed Chloe’s hand and started to lead her around the edge of the room, towards the butterfly arch. The ground seemed to be shaking now, or were her legs just trembling?

They edged along the wall, pressed against their own reflections. Marinette couldn’t shake the feeling the reflections wanted to push them into the writhing darkness.

Just a few more feet. Just- No! The floor shattered just as Marinette was putting her foot down. For a lurching second, Marinette thought she would plunge into abyss below, but Chloe had managed to hold onto her, pull her back. Marinette heard Chloe’s breathing quicken again behind her, felt Chloe trembling.

The gap wasn’t too large. They could cross it with one large step if they were fast. Marinette took a breath, and forced herself across. The edges crumbled a bit at the movement. “Come on.” Marinette held out her hand.

Chloe hesitated a moment, took Marinette’s hand, and stepped quickly over the gap. Marinette couldn’t help holding her breath until they’d safely passed through the archway.

There was a crash behind them. When they turned to look, they saw that entire floor had finally given way and fallen into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like I shorted Nino and Alya last chapter, so I tried to make it up a bit here. Alya's section still feels the weakest, but eh. I'll make sure she gets a chance to shine. I really enjoyed writing Nino's part, though. :)
> 
> Also, if you're curious you can find me on tumblr here: https://shadeterminus.tumblr.com/
> 
> I reblog lots stuff I think is cute, but I also occasionally post my thoughts on Ladybug episodes and some headcanons. I'll probably start putting up more of my fanfics there, too. You're welcome to just talk or ask me something, if you'd like. I dunno. >>;
> 
> Now to dig in on the next chapter!


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